VIDEO: Buju Banton’s Last Interview Before Imprisonment
“I am a man who is prone to make mistakes just like any other man” – words spoken by the reggae star Buju Banton during his last interview before his imprisonment.
In December 2009, Buju Banton was remanded by agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration in Miami where he was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession of more than five kilograms of cocaine.
On the 22nd of February 2011, he was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense and using communication wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offense.
He was eventually sentenced to ten years and one month in a federal prison for the cocaine trafficking conviction.
Banton who had been a frequent target of gay rights protesters and groups for his 1992 song titled “Boom Bye Bye” had a meeting with representatives of the LGBT community in 2009.
During that historic meeting, several suggestions were made to Buju. They included him making statements in Jamaica calling for love toward gays, donating to the JFLAG group (The Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays), holding a town hall meeting in Kingston about the need to respect gays, and singing about loving gay people.
They were all rejected.
After Buju’s arrest and eventual conviction, talks of conspiracies by “the gays” to destroy his life and career were widespread both in Jamaica and internationally.
In the Onstage interview below, the articulate Buju Banton showcases great humility and depth of thought as he answers several questions posed by Winford Williams.
He also praises fellow incarcerated entertainer Vybz Kartel stating:
“Vybz Kartel is a man…him stimulate mi heavens wid him music…if only him coulda realise wha him have and turn the spanner anti-clockwise, and den turn it inna di right direction”
See the entertaining video below:
Download The Jamaican Blogs™ App for your Android device: HERE
Remember to share this article on Facebook and other Social Media Platforms. To submit your own articles or to advertise with us please send us an EMAIL at: [email protected]